ISTORY

THE HUNDRED YEAR'S WAR

THE WARS OF RELIGION

1346

The battle of Crecy. The French finest feudal cavalry was defeated by the foot-soldier of the Welsh bowmen. 1347 - The English took Calais which they kept for two centuries. 1356 - The battle of Poitiers. The French were defeated. The English hero of the two battles was "The Black Prince", Edouard III 's son. King Jean "Le Bon" son of Philip VI was taken prisoner and led to London. 1360 - Treaty of Bretigny, signed by Jean Le Bon which gave England full possession of Calais, Poitou, and Aquitaine, including Perigord, representing altogether a third of the Southwest of France.

1364

Charles V son of Jean Le Bon reorganized the army and appointed Bertrand Du Guesclin as chief who waged a nonstop war against The English and retook the provinces they had conquered. By 1380, after the death of Charles V and Du Guesclin, the English possessed no more than 3 towns in France : Calais, Bayonne et Bordeaux..... During the time of Charles VI (who became insane), France was ravaged by civil war and by war with the English. The Burgudians and the Armagnacs put France into danger by fighting each other. The English took advantage of the situation to occupy a large part of France.

1415

The French were defeated at Azincourt. 1420 - The Treaty of Troyes was signed by Queen Isabeau, the wife of Charles VI. He disinherited her son ( Charles VI ) and recognized the King of England as their heir to the French throne.

1429

Joan of Arc liberated Orleans and helped Charles VII to become King. He was sacred in Reims. A year later, Joan was captured by the English at Compiegne. 1431 - She was burnt as a sorceress in Rouen. 1436 - The French King retook Paris, organized his army and took Normandy. The French army led by the King Charles VII won victory after victory during the next 20 years. 1453 - The English were chased out of France; the town of Calais remained their only French possession. 1475 - Peace was signed by Louis XI.

The Chateau was built in the 13th century. It was taken during the 100 Years by the English ,and then destroyed by the Consuls of Sarlat. Around 1450, Radulph of Saint-Clar retook the chateau ,rebuilt it, and lived there. The chateau withstood the ravages of centuries and was partly restored in the 19th century .This is how Puymartin has managed to retain the family heirlooms, furniture, tapestries and also the beautiful but terrifying legend of the White Lady.

Here there are two chateaux of differents periods built on a fortified bank. The medieval fortress (13th-14th ) is surrounded by a machicolated sentry walk with twin bays and dominated by an octogonal keep nearly 35 meters high with 4 vaulted levels .The Renaissance palace (16th century) contains admirable furniture such as the bed of " Charles V" decorated with gold.

This early Renaissance castle can be compared with the most beautiful chateaux, in Val de Loire from the "Francois 1st " period. One of the main characteristic is the harmony of proportions as in the main lodging flanked by towers and turrets of different shapes and the main facade lit by mullioned windows. A rich sculptured decoration ,attic windows, machicolation, stair cases, panelled ceiling, fireplaces enhance the elegance of the building. One can also admire the remarkable oak frame of the roof like the inverted bull of ship.

It stands on a remarkable site rising from the top of a rock; overlooking the beautiful Dordogne valley winding between hills crowned with castles. The main building dating from the 13th and 14th century, is extended by the 15th seigneurial manor-house to which a bartizan was added in the 16th century. Inside the great Hall of State, where once the Nobles of Perigord used to assemble, has a fine broken barrel vaulting. The oratory is decorated with Gothic frescoes.

This impressive castle stands on a wonderful site overlooking the Dordogne River, is a typical example of a medieval fortress.The most interesting is the Middle Age War Museum showing different weaponries throughout the castle

The Chateau is perched high on a rock above the right bank of the river Vezere. Its defensive apparel dates back to the 15th century, whilst the hall of residence completed in1576 is a fine example of Renaissance architecture. The apartmemts decorated with tapestries and 16th and 17th centuries furniture and weapons take the visitors back to the time of the Valois and the first Bourbons reigns.

This is a masterpiece of military architecture from the late 15th and 16th century. Its majectic fortress stands on the borders of Black Perigord and Quercy. Although built as a traditional defensive place, its special conception was also adapted to the use of new firearms at that time. Partly demolished during the Revolution, this colossus still evokes the absolute power of feodal period.

The construction has begun in the 12th century by the barons of Castelnau, with a square dungeon and seignorial living quarters in red stone. In the late 19th century it was refurbished by Jean Moulierat, a tenor at the Opera-Comique. Major collections of furniture and works of art from the Middle Age to the 18th century.

Chateau des Milandes is a Renaissance beauty built by Francois de Caumont in 1489. The castle is decorated with frescoes and sculptures, while the chapel filled up with elegant effigy tombs. In 1949 the well-known singer and actress Josephine Baker bought it, and created her "Rainbow Tribe" (13 adopted children of every races).

This is a strategic stronghold at the fringe of Perigord and Agenais. The family Gontaut-Biron held the fief for 8 hundred years. Each century, between XII-XVIIIth, has left testimonies of the misfortunes of the massive bulk: the keep, the renaissance chapel with two lodgings, the vast kitchen with ogival vaulting and the state-hall.

The Cloister has 4 galleries, 26 ogival vaulted bays, and out standing gate and sculptur, it is a real masterpiece of flamboyant gothic art ( 15th - 16th ). The Romanesque church in contrast to the cloister, is however not as austere as typical cistercian monuments. The museum of the holy shroud situated in the chapter room of the cloister, relates 8 centuries of Pilgrimage and religious devotion for a relic, in which the body of the Christ was said to have been wrapped.

This handsome Romanesque church was part of a Benedictine priory founded in the 12th century and depended upon the Sarlat abbey. Inside, the transept crossing is vaulted with a dome,while apsidal chapels are connected to the apse by narrow openings. Chapels and apse are decorated with parts of frescoes.

The peaceful Augustinian abbey was founded in the 12th century. In 1370, the English gave the monks the bum's rush and converted the abbey into a stronghold that only fell when Du Guesclin personally led the attack, storming up the ladder and splitting open the head of the English captain. The square, Romanesque belltower is made up of three tiers of arcades, some of which are rounded while others are pointed.

Built in the 12th century, the church is Romanesque at its most Roman,striving above all for monumental presence. At the front of the interior is a tower decorated on its lowest tier with carved brackets, which was part of a previous building and dates from the 10C or perhaps the begining of the 11C. One of the three domes, the earliest is oddly squarred , showing the Islamics origins of the technic.

This sacred city, hanging on the edge of a desolate gorge, was carved in the cliff by human faith during the 11th century ,and become one of the busiest pilgrimage shrines in France. Such an incredibly daring construction appears to defy the force of the gravity. The cult of the Black Virgin promoted by the Benedictines and the presence of Compostella pilgrims generated miracles along that great road. The great staircase leads to the the courtyard of the religious city surrounded by seven churches and chapels.

This Abbey was founded in 769 by Charlemagne, sacked by the Normans and rebuilt in the 11th century . The bell-tower (the oldest in France) was built apart from the church on a Merovingian base.It was erected on vast caves. Its pyramidal roof and complex tiers of windows and arches demonstrate this abbey's former importance. The best curiosities are the grottes and sacred fountains in the cliff behind the abbey.

In a small valley close to Montignac stands the church, once part of an Augustinian abbey is probably one of the most amazing and impressive fortified church in all Perigord. Its enormous pointed arch of the doorway is part of a very elaborated defence system to keep enemies approching. A rampart walk runs around the building which is surrounded by old lauze-roofed houses. The very simple inside decoration contrasts with the strongness and severity of the high walls of this unique fortified church.

The Cathedral is one of the largest in southwest France. A first chapel was built into the 6th century. In 1047 a larger church was consacred. Fire destroyed this building in 1120. The third basilica was in Byzantine style.This was the first domed church to be built on the Roman road. During the Wars of Religion, in 1575 the tomb of Saint-Front was destroyed.